subtropical

[ suhb-trop-i-kuh l ]

/ sʌbˈtrɒp ɪ kəl /

adjective

bordering on the tropics; nearly tropical.

pertaining to or occurring in a region between tropical and temperate; subtorrid; semitropical.

noun

a subtropical plant.

Nearby words

Origin of subtropical

First recorded in 1835–45; sub- + tropical

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for subtropical

Another mosquito-borne infection, dengue is found primarily in urban and rural tropical and subtropical regions.
8 Diseases Scarier Than Swine Flu|Barbara Kantrowitz|October 16, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Gulval is one of the prettiest churchyards in Cornwall, beautiful with subtropical plants and pampas grass.
The Cornish Coast (South)|Charles G. Harper
Every man I spoke to was dead against their use in a subtropical campaign like the present one.
With Methuen's Column on an Ambulance Train|Ernest N. Bennett
However, Bassariscus astutus is found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate climates.
Metabolic Adaptation to Climate and Distribution of the Raccoon Procyon Lotor and Other Procyonidae|John N. Mugaas

They contain a few genera chiefly old world tropical and subtropical.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 6|Various
Euphorbiace, is found in tropical and subtropical parts of the world.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 1|Various

British Dictionary definitions for subtropical

subtropical

/ (sʌbˈtrɒpɪkəl) /

adjective

situated in, used in, characteristic of, or relating to the subtropics

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for subtropical

subtropical

adj.

1842, from sub- + tropical.

Science definitions for subtropical

subtropical

[ sŭb-trŏp′ĭ-kəl ]

Relating to the regions of the Earth bordering on the tropics, just north of the Tropic of Cancer or just south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Subtropical regions are the warmest parts of the two Temperate Zones.